Page 73 of Hidden Hero

“What’s that smile for?” Jeremy asked, his voice rich and amused as he looked up from his coffee.

She chuckled softly, meeting his gaze. “Just thinking about last night.”

He leaned back, his grin widening. “Then here’s to many more nights of giving you something to smile about in the morning.”

Laughing, she reached for her glass of orange juice and lifted it in a mock toast. “Oh, that’s a good one. That could be a meme.”

Jeremy chuckled, the deep rumble of his laughter sending a ripple of delight through her. She couldn’t help but savor how he made her feel—light, warm, and entirely at ease.

The night before had been more wonderful than she’d anticipated. She’d expected the wedding to be lovely but hadn’t foreseen just how much fun she’d have, surrounded by a lively crowd. And afterward… well, she’d hoped for passion, but Jeremy had exceeded her wildest expectations. Their sheer connection and the way he made her feel cherished and alive was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. When they’d finally fallen asleep, tangled in each other’s arms, she realized her heart was undeniably falling for him.

Lost in thought, she was startled when her phone vibrated against the table. Glancing down, she saw a message from Dan. Her brow furrowed in curiosity as she unlocked the screen to read it.

Just wanted to say thanks for your diligence in the Parker case. Looks like we’re cleared by risk management.

She smiled at the text before looking up to find Jeremy’s curious gaze fixed on her. “It’s from Dan,” she said, reading the message aloud. She leaned back and let out a sigh of relief. “It’s nice to know risk management is satisfied now.”

Jeremy nodded thoughtfully. “I’m glad for you. I know you’ll do what’s right, but it feels good to have them off your back, doesn’t it?”

“What happens now?” she asked, setting her phone down. “I always know my part in these things, but I haven’t heard back from Detective Sullivan or Perez. I know they’re busy, but it’d be nice to get an update.”

“With the toxicology report you gave them, they probably started investigating the same day,” Jeremy said, leaning forward slightly. “They’ll dig into the victim’s relationships, job, family, living arrangements. All the usual steps.”

“And the subpoena to search?” she pressed.

Jeremy tilted his head, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. “Since they have probable cause, they could’ve gotten a subpoena or warrant within a day, maybe two. Judge Thompson’s been on the bench all week, and he’s good about signing off when it’s justified. But you know as well as I do, nothing works as quickly as it does on TV.”

Cora laughed, shaking her head. “It’s so true. People act like I can churn out reports the second I finish an autopsy. Toxicology, lab tests—they take time! Weeks, sometimes. And don’t get me started about rape kit results!”

He nodded in agreement. “I’m betting John and Elizabeth will check the Parker property soon. If there’s foxglove planted around their house—or even in the neighborhood—they’ll find it.”

“It wouldn’t even have to be in their yard,” Cora added. “If someone knew the toxic properties of foxglove, they could easily grab it from anywhere.”

Jeremy leaned back, his arms crossed over his chest. “True. But they’ll probably get a search warrant for the house, too. If Mr. Parker ingested the poison, they might find the source if it hasn’t been disposed of yet.”

Cora sighed, her fingers drumming lightly on the table. “And even then, the district attorney might decide there’s not enough evidence to go to trial.”

Jeremy’s lips quirked as he scoffed. “Welcome to our jobs, babe. You know it happens all the time. You work your ass off to build a solid case, only for it to stall if the DA doesn’t think they can win it in court.”

She tilted her head, her curiosity piqued. “What happens if your current case crosses jurisdictions? Like if your drug investigations lead to people outside this area?”

“Then it’s handed off to the state police, DEA, or FBI,” he explained. “But honestly, I’ll be satisfied if I can just shut down what’s happening here.”

She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. “Speaking of which, weren’t you going to check the finances of that church? Where’s that at?”

Jeremy blew out a long breath. “Took two days to get in front of the judge. He denied it at this time. Said we didn’t have enough cause. We need more to tie in the pastor to get the church’s finances. It came in late Friday. Pete and I are tackling it first thing tomorrow.”

Cora groaned, her head dropping into her hands for a moment. “Ugh. Mondays.”

He laughed, brushing his fingers along the back of her hand. “Come on, babe. You know how it is. We do what we can, and the rest is out of our hands.”

Her lips twitched into a sly smile as she straightened in her seat, leaning on her crossed arms. “Well,” she said, her voice low and flirtatious, “I can’t control what’soutof our hands… but maybe I can do something about what can be inyours.”

Jeremy’s eyes widened briefly before narrowing with a smirk, his expression shifting into pure, teasing confidence. “Oh, I know you can,” he said, snagging her hand and tugging at it.

Cora laughed as she let him pull her around the table, willingly stepping into his arms. Whatever the rest of the day held, she had no doubt they’d start it off right—with him, everything felt just right.

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